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Azarmanô waited as Inzillomí went to answer the door. Things did seem to be developing rather quickly since he had arrived. He was worried for her and hoped that the King’s men would do her no harm. He could not imagine what it must be like for her to leave her home and travel east while her husband lay bound in chains. His thoughts wandered to his own wife on the ship who eagerly awaited his return. If her life was in peril, he would do everything in his power to save her, no matter what the consequences. Azarmanô vowed that he would try his utmost to ensure the prisoner’s freedom and safety. He knew that the mission must not fail, if Abârpânarú was to survive the bloody blade of Sauron.
Inzillomí returned leading a strange man with shoulder length dirt colored hair and large blue eyes. Startled by the unexpected appearance of a newcomer, Azarmanô stood up, hastily straightening his lax frame. The Captain did not remember the man from any of his missions, nor could he remember him from any of the meetings of the Faithful. Although they hoped for men to go on the rescue mission, he personally did not feel comfortable asking a complete stranger, not with all the questions that he had. Who was the intruder, and why was he here? His ready explanation had come off his tongue too glibly.
The man’s hair looked greasy and ruffled, as if he had not combed it for days. He carried himself with a hint of arrogance, a trait that Azarmanô did not regard with fondness. Although suspicious of the stranger, he did not think it wise to do anything further now. This was not his house; it would not be proper for him to welcome the guest with a series of piercing questions. Lady Inzillomí, Azarmanô reasoned, must have trusted him enough to let him in. Still, this thought did not greatly ease his misgivings; the king’s agents lurked everywhere nowadays, and many were well disguised. For now, Azarmanô bowed politely toward the guest, slowly and deliberately, while reminding himself that his bow and knife were nearby if he needed them.
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